Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. Amendment No. 5 is similar to the amendment tabled by Deputy Quinlivan on Committee Stage and proposes to reduce the review period from three years after the office of mayor is established to two years. As I outlined on Committee Stage, we can all agree that once the office of mayor is established and the mayor is in situ for the appropriate period, there will need to be a review of the operation and effect of this historic legislation. That is something on which I am strong. The Bill makes provision for such a review.

The question is when is the appropriate time to hold a review and a number of factors need to be considered. The independent advisory group report recommended that a review would take place at the end of the third year of the mayoral term to enable the enactment of any changes required and to reflect the assignment of any new functions in advance of the next mayoral election. This Bill is consistent with that approach. I have consistently referred to the independent advisory group report because it was a good piece of work, as we all agree.

The pre-legislative scrutiny report of the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage suggested a review after a very short period of one year. Indeed, a review after two years is still a relatively short period. It is important that adequate time is provided to allow for the embedding and integration of the new structure for Limerick City and County Council provided for in this Bill. On balance, I consider, as I stated on Committee Stage, that a three-year period is an appropriate period for the holding of a review. However, this is the outside timeframe and there is nothing to prevent a review in advance of that.

I should also mention the importance of the role of the Limerick mayor and government consultative forum, which will facilitate engagement between the mayor and national government. It is a statutory body. It will also review and advise on how the new structures are operating and on any review of the legislation.

Amendment No. 6 is in the name of my colleague, Deputy Leddin. It proposes a new subsection (3) in section 7 to provide that the mayor may prepare a report for the consideration of the Minister for Finance identifying potential new sources of income for Limerick. Again, this was discussed on Committee Stage and the Deputy spoke about the potential tourism tax and similar sources of income. As I outlined on Committee Stage, while local authorities can charge for specific goods and services and levy commercial rates, they do not have a role in taxation policy. In any event, the preparation of a report should be a matter for the mayor to decide and there is nothing that would prevent the mayor from considering new sources of income and preparing a report for the consideration of the Minister for Finance on same. However, I do not consider it appropriate or necessary to include such provision in the legislation. I am of the view that the Bill already provides a mechanism to deal with the substantive issue the Deputy has raised. I reiterate the importance of the role of Limerick mayor and government consultative forum in the context of the amendment put forward by Deputy Quinlivan. The forum will facilitate engagement generally between the mayor and national government, including the Minister for Finance, and will also have a role in advising and making recommendations on the issues arising from the establishment of the office of mayor, additional functions that should be conferred on the office of the mayor, the funding of Limerick City and County Council in this context and the impact on Limerick of proposed legislation or Government policy. The forum will provide the ideal platform for detailed engagement and consideration of a wide range of matters regarding the office of mayor, including additional functions and sources of funding. All of these matters will feed into the review under section 7.

I am not minded to accept the amendments. I hope that the legislation provides the framework to go some way towards what is being proposed.

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